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Groceries - how much weekly?

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    #92
    Shenshen
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 9,453 Mod ✭✭✭✭Shenshen


    Arya Raspy Sinusitis wrote: »
    I'm very surprised how little is spent on meats. I presume most people are not bothered with free range or organic meats at the budgets you're taking about?

    We are lucky to have most of the larger supermarkets close by us (Dunnes,Tesco,Aldi,lidl,SuperValu) including a local butcher, but free range/organic meats are bloody expensive no matter where you shop.

    I'm hoping that most people buy meat that had a good enough life, and just eat less of it. But them I'm a hopeless optimist with too much faith in the good side of humanity.


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    #93
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    snubbleste wrote: »
    :eek:
    You should be aiming for ~€30pppw max

    We are very lucky in Ireland in that we have so much choice, good quality food and importantly good value. We take it for granted.

    30 euro per week for all meals for 7 days?

    I spend that just buying my lunch the 5 working days of the week.


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    #94
    Lux23
    Registered Users Posts: 7,134 ✭✭✭Lux23


    snubbleste wrote: »
    Course you would.
    There are plenty of recipes online to meet the €30pp spend.

    But they probably aren't carb free.


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    #95
    RobertKK
    Registered Users Posts: 33,728 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    I average about €30 to €35 a week.
    Fresh fruit, veg and meat, fish, milk, porridge oatlets every two weeks or so, a frozen pizza, an apple tart, bread, yogurt, crisps.


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    #96
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    Ronald Slimy Greengrocer wrote: »
    30 euro per week for all meals for 7 days?

    I spend that just buying my lunch the 5 working days of the week.

    I can never understand why peopled can't make their lunch at home for work instead of buying it ready made.


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    #97
    Parchment
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭Parchment


    Lux23 wrote: »
    But they probably aren't carb free.

    Well carb free isnt really ideal either - a balanced diet has carbs.


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    #98
    fg1406
    Registered Users Posts: 433 ✭✭fg1406


    2 adults and a doggy and we do ours for about €45 per week. There'll be spikes when we stock up on meat but we only buy that once every six weeks or so.


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    #99
    andekwarhola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,638 ✭✭✭andekwarhola


    Always changes as time goes by but of late I think around 75-80 a week for basic groceries (2 adults, 2 young kids) and household stuff. Don't really buy that much crap and all meals planned and home cooked. That's not including stuff like bread (make it a lot of the time), weekend treats, milk, alcohol, pet food etc. I eat cheaply for work lunches: usually bring in a smoothie and we've bread, fruit and coffeee provided by work.

    It sounds like a low budget compared to some but it's enough. Not a question of affordiblity and I think we all eat well and healthily.


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    #100
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Sam Kade wrote: »
    I can never understand why peopled can't make their lunch at home for work instead of buying it ready made.

    Because its much less effort (no planning what to buy, having to buy the stuff, preparing the stuff, if you want choice its not cheap etc) and I much prefer to stroll into town and buy a nice fresh sandwich from a choice of multiple different places depending on what I feel like. I've no interest in bringing my own lunch even if it was free (which it isn't). Also I don't like eating dinner food at lunch so I'll just end up making a sandwich everyday or maybe a salad both of which are much nicer bought fresh at lunch and with far more choice.


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    #101
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    Where you shop will have a lot to do with it. I do most of mine in Aldi, there are a few specific diet items I can only get in Dunnes and Holland and Barrett. I buy a lot of household items in places like Mr Price and Dealz as they tend to be discounted. I cook everything myself so I'm not spending money on ready meals. I have a meal plan each week so I'm never stuck and only buy what I need. If I didn't have the animals or the special diets I could feed the four of us on 50-60 a week.


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    #102
    Parchment
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭Parchment


    Sam Kade wrote: »
    I can never understand why peopled can't make their lunch at home for work instead of buying it ready made.

    Some people dont have time - different priorities.


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    #103
    andekwarhola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,638 ✭✭✭andekwarhola


    Parchment wrote: »
    Some people dont have time - different priorities.

    If time is the only issue, just do slightly larger protions of main meals and bring them in. Or do a large portion and freeze it in a few smaller portions. You'd be suprised how quickly you get into the habit.


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    #104
    ChikiChiki
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,950 ✭✭✭ChikiChiki


    Parchment wrote: »
    Some people dont have time - different priorities.

    The last 3 years I was leaving the house at 6am for work and returning home at 10.30pm from college 4 nights a week. Not in a million years had I time to make lunch. I put on a good bit of weight snacking and eating on the fly.


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    #105
    atticu
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭atticu


    biko wrote: »
    I spend more on beer weekly than groceries..

    I thought beer was groceries.

    I was wondering why we spend so much more than most.


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    #106
    Shenshen
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 9,453 Mod ✭✭✭✭Shenshen


    Parchment wrote: »
    Some people dont have time - different priorities.

    Personally, I prefer making time, no matter what. I dislike sandwiches (way, way, way too much bread, way, way, way too little vegetables), and the tiny portions of tasteless, half-frozen salads for sale in most places really don't do it for me.

    Being picky about your food can safe you a lot of money, who'd have thought? ;)


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    #107
    snubbleste
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭snubbleste


    Ronald Slimy Greengrocer wrote: »
    30 euro per week for all meals for 7 days?
    I spend that just buying my lunch the 5 working days of the week.
    well no, €30pppw maximum for food, toiletries, detergents..but excl alcohol, pets.
    and that price should reduce the larger the family, as you are buying in bulk and economising


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    #108
    Parchment
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭Parchment


    eviltwin wrote: »
    Where you shop will have a lot to do with it. I do most of mine in Aldi, there are a few specific diet items I can only get in Dunnes and Holland and Barrett. I buy a lot of household items in places like Mr Price and Dealz as they tend to be discounted. I cook everything myself so I'm not spending money on ready meals. I have a meal plan each week so I'm never stuck and only buy what I need. If I didn't have the animals or the special diets I could feed the four of us on 50-60 a week.

    This is why i stopped going to Lidl - i was spending my saturday going around getting all the bits i couldnt get in Lidl in other shops and whatever i saved in Lidl i ended up spending again in other shops. I can get everything in one go in Dunnes now.


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    #109
    andekwarhola
    Registered Users Posts: 4,638 ✭✭✭andekwarhola


    atticu wrote: »
    I thought beer was groceries.

    I was wondering why we spend so much more than most.

    I deliberately ommited beer from my calculation.


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    #110
    Shenshen
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 9,453 Mod ✭✭✭✭Shenshen


    Parchment wrote: »
    This is why i stopped going to Lidl - i was spending my saturday going around getting all the bits i couldnt get in Lidl in other shops and whatever i saved in Lidl i ended up spending again in other shops. I can get everything in one go in Dunnes now.

    It's funny, I haven't set foot in Dunnes in years, I think.
    I stop by Tescos occasionally, but it's only when I fancy quorn sausages or I need a new pair of tights. On average maybe once a month, if that.

    Everything else I get in Aldi, Lidl, and the Polish and Asian shop - all of them en route to work, which is handy.


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    #111
    Parchment
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭Parchment


    Shenshen wrote: »
    Personally, I prefer making time, no matter what. I dislike sandwiches (way, way, way too much bread, way, way, way too little vegetables), and the tiny portions of tasteless, half-frozen salads for sale in most places really don't do it for me.

    Being picky about your food can safe you a lot of money, who'd have thought? ;)

    Well i know that my mom works full time and cares for her elderly parents who live an hours drive from her home. She happily buys a lunch in a lovely local cafe each day - im sure she is happy to spend her money there and not have to sweat making lunch when she gets home late each evening.

    Convenience is worth the few euro to some people.


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    #112
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    andekwarhola wrote: »
    If time is the only issue, just do slightly larger protions of main meals and bring them in. Or do a large portion and freeze it in a few smaller portions. You'd be suprised how quickly you get into the habit.

    I ended up buying a load of the paleo meal deliveries. Loads of veg and meat, super tasty, low effort
    All gf for me as well


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    #113
    all the bais
    Registered Users Posts: 85 ✭✭all the bais


    2 adults €60-€70 p/week. Like yourself, we returned from 'Christmas with the folks' and done a larger shop.
    You could be my Mrs for all i know.


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    #114
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    Parchment wrote: »
    This is why i stopped going to Lidl - i was spending my saturday going around getting all the bits i couldnt get in Lidl in other shops and whatever i saved in Lidl i ended up spending again in other shops. I can get everything in one go in Dunnes now.

    I wouldn't do it if it was a hassle. I go into those shops maybe once every two months to stock up, it's not an extra expense. I live beside an Aldi so that is handy, no need for the car. It's different if you don't have choice but I'm very spoiled where I live, all the major supermarkets and specialty shops are within walking distance.


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    #115
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,421 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    atticu wrote: »
    I thought beer was groceries.

    I was wondering why we spend so much more than most.
    Don't forget the wine, plus if you're shopping in Lidl or Aldi, the occasional chainsaw or angle grinder :)

    Anyway, thanks to AIB's Money Manager in their online banking, I can see we (2 adults) spent €5674.85 on "groceries" in 2016, so €109.13 per week, plus another €598.85 at MaxiZoo for the cat (food + cat litter).


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    #116
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    Parchment wrote: »
    Some people dont have time - different priorities.
    You're joking, how long does it take to make a sandwich?


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    #117
    missmatty
    Registered Users Posts: 1,126 ✭✭✭missmatty


    I log my monthly spending in an Excel sheet but I've never calculated what I spend on groceries per week so I just had a look there at last year. My partner and I (no pets) share costs on everything so it looks like we spend about 66e a week on groceries, not including alcohol but sometimes including a few toiletries. We bring in our own lunches most days and don't really get takeaways often. That's less than I expected as he gets a fair bit of meat in Supervalu which can be expensive, but we go to Lidl as well. Good to have a ballpark number in the head for reference.

    Also I make salads and healthy lunches generally and it does take a good ten minutes to chop and assemble stuff for an interesting and substantial enough salad.


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    #118
    Autonomous Cowherd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,100 ✭✭✭Autonomous Cowherd


    Cheesus I feel bad for how much I spend. It is my biggest expense, and for 2 adults its at least 120 per week, more depending on the non-food items needed. I suppose that does include dog and cats food, but still it seems high compared to what most are spending. I don't think I'm going to start cutting corners though, I consider food to be very important and buy as much organic as possible. I don't buy ready made food, or much processed food. How the heck are people getting by on 40 or 50 quid for a couple, I mean loo roll alone would be nearly 10% of that, then there's wash powder, toothpaste, dog food, firelighters...I mean...how are ye people managing???:confused:


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    #119
    currants
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭currants


    Shenshen wrote: »
    I'm hoping that most people buy meat that had a good enough life, and just eat less of it. But them I'm a hopeless optimist with too much faith in the good side of humanity.


    Most cattle and sheep have a good quality of life being outdoors grazing most of the year here but as somebody else said earlier pigs and chickens really, really don't. We've gone from most people keeping a pig in their back garden to free range pork being hard to find in the last 30 years. I love bacon but don't eat much of it at all now because of welfare concerns, pigs are smarter than dogs but spend their entire lives indoors here, its not right.

    I wish more farmers would do outdoor bred pigs, I'd eat a lot more pork and bacon then. Free range chicken is easy to come by and only a quid dearer in Aldi and Lidl, I'd rather spend the extra euro and know the chicken had a decent quality of life, same for eggs. We have 2 veggie nights a week, usually falafel and a pasta dish. Spend for 2 adults is about 100 a week, inclding a bottle of wine or 2 and a Sunday roast. When there's 4 adults here I'd almost double that but that's down to buying treats and goodies we don't really eat ourselves.


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    #120
    BobMc
    Registered Users Posts: 1,128 ✭✭✭BobMc


    2 adlt 2 kids varies Between e100 - 125 (no booze) with the dunnes vouchers then e20 off, I try to go around and calculate as I go to get close to the 120 so its comes down to the 100, if and when vouchers end I'll continue to add as I go I've gotten pretty good at doing it on the fly with the list


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    #121
    snubbleste
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭snubbleste


    Autonomous Cowherd wrote: »
    How the heck are people getting by on 40 or 50 quid for a couple, I mean loo roll alone would be nearly 10% of that, then there's wash powder, toothpaste, dog food, firelighters...I mean...how are ye people managing???:confused:
    I'd like to see your receipts so I can analyse them :cool:
    You buy Lidl loo roll when it's on 50% off weekend offer, alternatively basic is 12 rolls for €2.69, washing powder is own brand as is toothpaste.


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